Wine of the Week 10/20/20

Les Volets Haute Vallée de l'Aude Malbec 2018

Regularly $11.99/On Sale for $9.96

We’re fans of the Malbec grape, and we’re also fans of making people aware of its origin in France, long before it arrived in Argentina (1886). In fact, it was once one of France’s most planted grapes!

Around Limoux in the Roussillon area in France, there is a large natural amphitheater that stretches from the foothills of the Pyrenees in the South to the outskirts of Carcassonne. This high terrain benefits from both Atlantic and Mediterranean weather systems and is surprisingly cool for being so far south.

These are ideal conditions allowing for the longer, slower ripening of the grapes. The Malbec variety has a long-standing tradition here and makes a brighter, smoother wine than in its ancestral home of Cahors, further to the north.

Les Volets (or “The Shutters”) is a velvety expression of Malbec, perfect for cooler evenings. Where Argentinian Malbec is tailored to grilled meats, this version is more flexible, and will accompany stews or fall soups or roast chicken or pizza.